There are certain brands of fundamentalism that encourage men and women to be morally flawless based on a literal and surface reading of Matt. 5:48: “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (ESV) As I said last week, I think verses like this—especially in red letters—are one of the reasons passages like Eccl.7:16 are not taken … Read More
What Jesus Wants in 2021, Part 3 of 4
In considering, Luke 10:38-42, Mary not only listened, Mary listened to Jesus. Indeed, that’s no small thing but it’s, regrettably, wildly misunderstood both inside and outside the Church. In thinking about the Jesus that Mary listened to, it’s essential to let his invitation below wash over, refresh, and inform our understanding of what it means to follow Him: “Come to … Read More
A Critique of Gothardism, Part 4 of 5
As an exercise in discernment, this series critiques the teaching associated with the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP), Advanced Training Institute International (ATI), and specifically their founder, Bill Gothard. His teaching includes a myriad of distortions and this post addresses examples under the fourth of six main areas (listed at the end of Part 1): A misuse of “the … Read More